Antarctic Expedition To Renew Search for Shackleton's Ship Endurance (theguardian.com) 21
Endurance22 will launch early next year with aim of locating and surveying wreck in the Weddell Sea. From a report: The location of Sir Ernest Shackleton's Endurance has been one of the great maritime mysteries since the ship became trapped in ice and sank in 1915. Finding this symbol of the "heroic age" of polar exploration at the bottom of the Weddell Sea was long thought impossible because of the harshness of the Antarctic environment -- "the evil conditions," as Shackleton described them. Now a major scientific expedition, announced on Monday, is being planned with a mission to locate, survey and film the wreck. Endurance22 will launch early next year, in a vessel that will brave the most treacherous frozen waters, pounding its way through miles of pack ice. The effects of climate change will make the expedition a little less difficult, with melting ice easing the vessel's passage. An international team of scientists with expertise in the study of ice and climate will be onboard, advancing knowledge of the Antarctic environment.
Mensun Bound, its director of exploration, headed the 2019 search for the Endurance that had to be called off because of extreme weather conditions, after an underwater vehicle became trapped beneath the ice. He told the Guardian: "There's a complexity of emotions all swishing around within me. On the one hand, there's great excitement. On the other, for the last three years, I've had to carry this persistent sadness in me that we didn't find it last time. It's never far from my thoughts. That ship is always teasing my imagination." Bound said global warming in the Antarctic is "absolutely devastating," but that the melting ice "has improved our chances" of discovering the shipwreck.
Mensun Bound, its director of exploration, headed the 2019 search for the Endurance that had to be called off because of extreme weather conditions, after an underwater vehicle became trapped beneath the ice. He told the Guardian: "There's a complexity of emotions all swishing around within me. On the one hand, there's great excitement. On the other, for the last three years, I've had to carry this persistent sadness in me that we didn't find it last time. It's never far from my thoughts. That ship is always teasing my imagination." Bound said global warming in the Antarctic is "absolutely devastating," but that the melting ice "has improved our chances" of discovering the shipwreck.
Colonialism (Score:2, Funny)
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This is that Antarctic numpty.
Please go and read the story of the expedition and how the crew survived. Could you have survived what they went through?
I doubt it.
Re: Colonialism (Score:5, Funny)
I'm an editor at The Guardian. If you can expand this to 600 words then we'd love to publish your insights.
why ? (Score:2, Troll)
"a major scientific expedition, announced on Monday, is being planned with a mission to locate, survey and film the wreck"
Sometimes it seems worthwhile to weigh the costs and benefits of a project. Sometimes? Pretty much always. Has anyone done that for this expedition?
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"a major scientific expedition, announced on Monday, is being planned with a mission to locate, survey and film the wreck"
Sometimes it seems worthwhile to weigh the costs and benefits of a project. Sometimes? Pretty much always. Has anyone done that for this expedition?
I expect the ship has largely been torn to shreds by the ice, making its discovery both much harder and of much less value.
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It was a pretty stout vessel. One of the strongest wooden ships ever built. It was damaged when they left it, otherwise they would have stayed, but I doubt it is completely destroyed. It does seem like it might be difficult to find it, though.
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"a major scientific expedition, announced on Monday, is being planned with a mission to locate, survey and film the wreck"
Sometimes it seems worthwhile to weigh the costs and benefits of a project. Sometimes? Pretty much always. Has anyone done that for this expedition?
What do you believe the story behind the financing is? The article says the project is privately financed so I'd just assume they made some sort of calculation before parting with their money.
Re:Waste of money (Score:5, Insightful)
Like it or not, we are still learning about the ageing processes of infrastructure in Polar conditions. Temperature, saturation, etc are all different. Steel corrodes differently. Organic matter rots differntly, etc.
Surveying a 100 year old wreck in polar waters has its SCIENTIFIC value (in addition to the historic one). Does this value justify choosing this wreck and not one of the more accessible ones in the Arctic where you can bring to bare heavy equipment? Not sure. IMHO it does not.
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Why don't you fuck off and feed some hungry children then?
Where's the science? (Score:3)
It's interesting from a historical perspective, I suppose; but I don't see the "major science" here.
Unless testing the subs in Antarctic conditions is what they mean... but, in that case, the search for Shackleton's ship is superfluous.
Search for ... (Score:2)
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